


By Heaven, I Do Love

by TackyJackie



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Cinderella AU, Kinda, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, also kinda - Freeform, they're still on mars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-21 02:51:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17634650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TackyJackie/pseuds/TackyJackie
Summary: Juno Steel, a glorified errand boy at twenty-seven years old. Peter Nureyev, conman and street rat turned prince. What will happen when they cross paths? Will they work together to save the planet or will their lives fall apart at the seams?





	1. Chapter 1

Juno woke up to the door slamming open and his blanket being ripped from his bed. Cecil and Cassandra stood over the bed staring him down. He hated it when they started the day like this.

“Get up, Junebug, you have a job to do,” said Cecil. He was dressed to the nines—as usual—in an avant garde suit that made Juno’s head hurt just thinking about it. Or maybe that was the hangover. Juno glared up at the twins looming over him.

“We need more arsenic. We’re running low,” Cassandra said it like one would say they’re running low on milk and need to pick up some more. Quite frankly, Juno wouldn’t be surprised if the twins had arsenic with their breakfast. He sat up with a groan.

“And why can’t you two just get it yourselves?” Cecil sighed and examined the red tips of his metal arm. Juno wasn’t sure if it was nail polish or blood. Juno wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“You know how _busy_ we are, June. And it’s not like you really expect us to go and buy secondhand arsenic, now do you?”

“Wait, what do you mean second hand ars—”

“Just get it, Steel.” Cassandra handed him a slip of paper with an address. “Don’t keep us waiting long. After all, you don’t _really_ need four limbs do you?” Cecil flashed his arm. If it weren’t for the circumstances Juno would have thought the way the metal glinted in the sunlight was pretty.

“Who needs them when you can have views?” Cecil grinned, showing off his newly sharpened teeth. He patted Juno’s head with his flesh arm before turning toward the door with Cassandra. As soon as they left the room Juno felt more at peace. Well… as much ‘at peace’ one could get in the Kanagawa mansion. Before Juno could get what the twins wanted he needed to make a stop. He needed some time with family before he could actually get anything done. But family time meant going up to Phobos—also commonly known as the Gravemoon—which meant going as far away from the planet’s surface as he would ever be comfortable with.

Once he _got_ to the Gravemoon he was set. He knew the way to the plot like the back of his hand. Hell, he knew it better than the back of his hand. He focused only on the way the gravel crunched under his feet and how visitors seemed to cease to exist there. He sat down next to his brother and sighed.

“I still think it’s unfair that I’m not the one down there. It was my fault. You would be able to handle the Kanagawas better than I ever could anyways.” Juno sat there next to his brother in content silence for what seemed like an eternity.  He put a hand on the top of the gravestone and rubbed it, just like he used to do with Benten’s head. “I’ll see ya later, Benten. I have to go get secondhand arsenic, whatever the hell that is.” After saying his parting words Juno let his feet and another taxi guide him to the bustling center of Hyperion City.

The city was always crawling with people and it always reeked of desperation. Juno hated the ever-present neon screens, they were constant and grating. Today, though, the screens all had a similar feeling. Impending doom. Uncertainty. Fear of the unknown. It put Juno on edge, along with the rest of Mars.

“—with the new monarchy firmly established, what will come of Mars as we know it? Will this new king be a good leader, or will he run this planet into the ground like so many before him? Stay tuned to—”

Juno could only ever stomach little snippets of the news. He didn’t like the idea of some guy who hadn’t even spent more than three years on Mars governing it. The Kanagawas, however, loved it. They couldn’t get enough of it; after all, a little political intrigue or a good old-fashioned scandal could do wonders for their beloved ratings. He didn’t pay much attention to politics, because he figured he was screwed one way or another, so why even bother. This guy was another matter. He called himself a king in a way that felt unnatural—not that other people calling themselves kings felt natural to Juno—but it felt like he had an ulterior motive and Juno wasn’t sure if he wanted to stick around to find out what it was.

He was thankful, at the very least, that all the fighting had stopped. That there was no more of the Kanagawas cashing out on bloody images and videos from people fighting for who they want to be in charge of the damned planet. Juno let his mind wander and feet lead him to the shadiest part of Hyperion City, where even Min Kanagawa would never be seen. He knew this part of town well. It's where he spent most of his days after the “accident” until Cecil Kanagawa picked him up like a lost puppy and forced him into another cage, however gilded it may be.

Juno bumped shoulders with a man dressed in all black with his hoodie pulled low over his face. Not an unusual occurrence in this city. This man grabbed his arm and pulled Juno along with him. Now, _that_ was unusual.

“What?” Juno asked. He was off his game. Juno tried to wrench his arm away but the man just gripped it tighter. The man turned his face towards him just a fraction.

“Don’t struggle. Just pretend you know me. You’ll be let go soon, I need a cover.” Juno shrugged; he really didn’t want to do torture device grocery shopping.

“Alright.” Juno said, and the man faltered.

“You’re just… okay with this?” Juno nodded.

“I don’t have anything else to do. A good kidnapping is hard to come by.” The man sighed and pulled him along for a few city blocks before turning into an alley. The man then pushed Juno up against the bricks and leaned in. Juno still couldn’t get a good look at his face with that hood pulled so low, but he did get a nice long look at his teeth. Sharp, like knives in a pretty case.

“This how you normally treat a lady you just met?” The man laughed and if Juno’s eyes hadn’t already been trained on that mouth, they were now.

“Not at all.” The man spared a glance to the mouth of the alley before turning back to Juno. “What’s your name?” Juno wasn’t sure if he should give his name out. He was linked to the Kanagawas and much more by just his name. Then again, a lady’s gotta get his entertainment somehow.

“Juno Steel, what’s yo—”

“Well, Juno, I’m going to kiss you now.” Juno didn’t say anything, or rather, didn’t have time to say anything before the man pressed his lips to Juno’s. A few moments later he pulled away leaving Juno a little lightheaded and most definitely distracted. “I think I lost him. Thank you, Juno, for your help.”

“Lost _who_?” Juno tried not to sound like he was out of breath. He didn’t succeed. The man put a hand on Juno’s shoulder like he was an old friend and not a stranger who just made out with him. The act of kissing Juno had pushed his hood back just enough for Juno to see large glasses and a face dotted with a galaxy of freckles. The man pulled his hood back over his face just as Juno got a glimpse of a pair of eyes that made his knees weak. Or maybe that was still the hangover.

“Oh, you know, Juno.” Juno did not know. “Just the everyday security detail.” The man said it so casually that he almost convinced Juno.

“What.”

“It was a pleasure meeting—and kissing—you, Juno.” The man stepped back and put his hands in his pockets.

“I don’t even get your name?” The man smiled.

“How about Rex Glass. Is that a good enough name for you?” Juno was sure that this man was messing with him.

“What do you mean _how about_? What’s your name?” The man flashed his sharp teeth at Juno before walking toward the mouth of the alley and out of his life. Juno was left standing there with his heart in his throat and lipstick smeared on his face. It took Juno several seconds to collect himself enough to remember he had a job to do. He would have liked to stay with that Rex Glass. Juno knew that wasn’t his name, but people hiding or obscuring their names or faces wasn’t unusual in Hyperion City. That was just a part of her charm.

“I’m here for… secondhand arsenic.” The clerk grunted and handed him a small red tinted vial. Juno still had no clue what secondhand arsenic was even as he paid and took the small vial with him out of the liquor store. Juno trudged back to the Kanagawa mansion ready but not excited for the twins to harass him about why it took so long.

* * *

 

Peter’s kissed plenty of people during his life but that lady, that Juno Steel, might just have been the best yet. He couldn’t get rid of the thought of Juno’s lips on his. He had only known Juno Steel for less than ten minutes, but that short amount of time was enough for the lady to crash into his life like a wrecking ball into a crumbling building. And if anything were to be a crumbling building, Peter’s life would fit that bill perfectly.

He set his glass down on the bar then motioned to the bartender and got another drink. He needed to get Juno out of his head. After all, he had a role to play, not that he even wanted to play it. Peter downed the drink, put some creds on the counter, and left. He kept pulling his hood over his face as he walked. Hiding his face wasn’t uncommon for him, but this context certainly was.

“Hey! Hey, Reina is that you?” Peter stopped in his tracks and sighed. Of course this would happen today. At this rate he might as well just walk back to the security detail with his tail between his legs. In one fluid motion he turned to face the person, Peter Nureyev melting away with a practiced ease.

“The one and only. How did you know it was me?” Peter now recognized the person as a woman whose house he’d stolen. Well, their seventeenth house. This woman was quite rich.

“I’d know your mopey little walk anywhere. I didn’t know you were on Mars; when’d you get here?” They stepped closer and lowered their voice, “And when are you leaving?” Peter smiled at them. He hated this woman with his entire being.

“I’m afraid I’m set to leave later today,” their face fell, “Business and all. You understand.” They nodded reluctantly but leaned forward to Peter’s ear.

“Well, if you’re leaving later today, surely you have some time _now_.” Peter looked them over and sighed. He could get some more trinkets to pawn off to the highest bidder, so why not? He smiled back at the woman, letting a little edge seep into it.

“When you put it like that, I suppose so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to the Super Secret Project i was doin its gonna be fun! art by @spicybruha! sams an angel for putting up with me for with this project


	2. Chapter 2

Juno was laying on the floor, staring up at his bedroom ceiling. It was plated with gold, Juno thought it was an atrocity but if the twins want it, it happens. He hated calling them _the twins_. He hated when they went out of their way to show off that they still had each other. That they weren’t missing half their heart. That they weren’t thrown into a bottomless pit without the only person who could have saved them.

Try as he might he couldn’t get that Rex Glass out of his mind. It had been two days and Juno was still thinking about him. Everything about him just screamed “ case.” Not that Juno could ever actually _get_ a case; he would never make it into the police. Especially now that he was an honorary member of the Kanagawa family—the most dangerous family this side of nowhere.

He didn’t like to be inside the gaudy mansion but whenever he left it the cameramen liked to follow him. It reminded him of days long past when he would sneak out of school and avoid any and every adult he and Benten saw. However, as much as he may dislike the cameraman and their incessant clicking, the world outside the mansion was more palatable.

Juno pushed himself off the floor with a groan and looked to the window—the only one in his room. It was above his shoddy little desk squat and wide. He thought it was an ugly thing but he wasn’t supposed to say that. He wasn’t supposed to say a lot of things. He opened the window, popped the screen out—it’s long since been tampered with—and jumped out. He landed with only a sore ankle. He’d gotten used to jumping out that little window in the past couple of years. He walked to the edge of the property—as far as he could go without falling off—and called a taxi. He would have used his own car if _someone_ hadn’t gotten it totaled with him inside it last week for ratings.

Juno was headed to the only place in Hyperion City that didn’t make him think about his current living situation, Valles Vicky’s Vixen Valley. He’d been spending a lot of time there as of late. It was somewhere he could get physical attention without it being related to torture or maiming. He stepped across the threshold and—like every time—was hit by how much he stuck out. Despite the reputation, it was a classy joint. Much too classy for a lady like Juno. He spent about an hour there before one worker took him upstairs to see Vicky.

“What is it this time?” Juno crossed his arms. He didn’t want to owe more money to Vicky, but it’s not like he had much to begin with. Money of his own, that is. He had plenty of money, the only issue was it was all from the Kanagawa’s endless stream of murder disguised as family-friendly entertainment.

“Sit.” She gestured to the chair in front of her desk. Juno didn’t. “I know you’re restless. You’re showing up here more and more often.” Vicky leaned forward, elbows on her desk. “You used to want to be a cop, Steel, before the accident. You were a private detective for a short time as well. I need someone like that.” She stared at Juno with the intensity of a supernova.

“I’m already indebted to you, what more do you want?” He glanced at the woman guarding the door. Clearly, Vicky didn’t think Juno was going to be happy about whatever she had in store for him.

“I need your help with the current… _king._ ” She said the word king like most people say cockroach. A fitting analogy. Mars wasn’t even a monarchy before this man came and asserted himself and his son. Juno didn’t know the King’s _name_ ; he wasn’t sure if anyone did. He saw a picture of the prince once, though. He was… not awful looking.

“What, you want me to shoot him?” Juno was beginning to realize why Vicky had a woman at the door. Vicky stood, the chair scrapped against the floor.

“No. I want you to work with an associate of mine to dismantle any hold he has on this planet.” Juno rolled his eyes.

“Why would I do that for you again?”

“ _Because,_ ” she said, holding out a file, “We have reason to believe that this man who calls himself a king was responsible for the Tragedy of New Kinshasa.”

Juno took the file. “ _Oh_. Well, that changes things. Even I’ve heard of that.” Juno ran a hand through his hair. He really didn’t want to get involved in what he was sure was going to end with a political assassination, but he didn’t really have much else to do. “So, who’s your associate?” Vicky sank back down into her seat.

“His name is Nicabar Byrde. We don’t have much information on him, but what we do have is more than enough in this line of work.” Juno finally sat down in the chair in front of Vicky’s desk. “He was on Yeyarune when the Tragedy of New Kinshasa happened. He was close enough to Brahma to get word only fifteen minutes after it happened. Quick for news in the Outer Rim,” She sounded pleased with herself. Juno wasn’t sure if he believed her. News travels fast no matter where you are. Even if there’s a totalitarian government muffling everything.

“What makes Byrde so special?” Juno glanced at the door and the woman in front of it. He was growing more and more uneasy. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Juno Steel doesn’t get to even think about the easy way out of anything. If this was going to go south he wanted to be prepared for the worst, which meant getting as much information on Byrde as possible.

“He’s good at blending in,” Vicky still sounded pleased with herself. Like she knew exactly how this whole thing would end. Juno wasn’t a fan. “You’ll meet him soon enough, if you agree to do this for me that is.” The tone of her voice and the hard look in her eyes told Juno he didn’t have a choice. It was either do this for Vicky or spend the rest of his miserable life paying her back.

“Seeing as I don’t have much of a choice, I might as well,” Juno wasn’t happy about the way Vicky grinned at him.

“Send him in.” She stared Juno in the eyes as she said it. She looked like someone who just put the last puzzle piece in its place.

Juno sighed, “Of course.” The woman at the door stepped aside as it slid open and a man in a sleek hot pink suit stepped through. Juno wasn’t sure how he made a hot pink suit look classy, but he did, and he did it well. Byrde grinned at Juno showing… familiar teeth. Juno stood. “Glass?”

Byrde or Glass or whoever this man was stepped forward and offered a hand. When Juno didn’t take it, the man frowned just slightly and put his arm down. “I’m afraid I’ve never heard that name in my life.” He was still smiling down at Juno. It wasn’t condescending like Juno felt it should have been, it was… kind.

“Vicky, what the hell?” Juno turned to her, she was still sitting in her chair like she owned—well, she _did_ own the place. Juno wanted to punch the smug look right off her face.

“I need the two of you to take down the so-called king. If you two can manage this by the end of the week you’ll be compensated greatly. Or, in Steel’s case, you won’t be in debt anymore.” The currents underneath her words reminded Juno of Cecil and Cass, and there’s no good way you can remind someone of them. Juno growled and started for the door.

“I’m not doing this for you, what the hell do I have to do with any of this?” Juno glared at the woman blocking the door, “Giving us a damn week to take down the entire government…” he turned back to Vicky with a poisonous glaze over his eyes, “What’re you really planning?” She stood, offended by his question.

“I’m _planning_ to save this hell-hole of a planet we live on. Keep in mind, Steel, my wife lives here. My kid lives here. I don’t want some man who caused one of the worst acts of terrorism in the Outer Rim governing us,” She stood and walked right up to Juno, a cold fire burning somewhere deep in her eyes. “I’m planning to do something since it seems like everyone else on this planet is content to watch this man burn it to its core.” She waved her hand and the woman moved from the door. “What are _you_ planning to do?”

His choice was clear, although it was less of a choice and more of an ultimatum. Help Vicky and that nameless man take down whoever the king really was, or be complicit in Mars’s destruction.

He spared a glance to Byrde. He really didn’t look too much like Glass. His glasses were a different shape, he didn’t have any freckles, and although he only got a glimpse of Glass’s face, Byrde’s was different. He held himself differently; that’s not something you can fake.

“Fine. Just don’t expect me to be happy about this.” He turned away from Vicky and out the door.

As he walked away he heard Vicky call out, “You aren’t happy about anything, Steel.” She was right.

 

* * *

 

On Juno’s way back to the mansion he was jumped. He swung at the attacker but pulled his punch last minute.

“Rita, what the hell?” The woman in question wrapped her arms around his waist. He tried to pry her off but to no avail. She finally unclamped her arms after what seemed like an eternity.

“Well, I was just thinkin’ I better go see how Mistah Steel is doin’. After all it’s been a week since I last saw ya’. A whole _week_! Can you believe that?” Juno started walking and Rita followed, talking animatedly. “Then I was wonderin’ where you went. ‘Cuz I don’t think a lady like you would just leave someone outta the blue like that, so I may have hacked into the Kanagawa’s cameramen…”

“Rita… what…”

“It was for a good cause! Usually, when you’re feelin’ bad or you’re busy you at least tell me.” Then she said, much quieter, “Can’t blame a girl for caring ‘bout her friend, Boss…” Juno stopped and sighed.

“Rita, I’m… sorry I guess. The tw— Kanagawas have had me running around like a rabbit with its head cut off lately. You’d think I’m an errand boy instead of a _‘treasured member of the family,’_ ” Juno scoffed. “They’re wearing me down to the bone.”

“I’m just surprised they haven’t _taken_ your bones yet, boss.” Juno walked again. Rita kept up.

“You and me both, Rita. It’d be somewhat palatable if they did something anywhere close to ethical to get their money.” They were close to the mansion, about five blocks away.

“I’ve been thinkin’ boss, we could just take their big fancy house. People in streams stage coups all the time, we could do it. It would just take time and money and gettin’ past their lasers…” She looked to Juno, “We could still do it, though!” She was smiling, her eyes were full of a hope that Juno couldn’t afford anymore.

“I’m sure you could hack into the mansion, Rita, but it would just end up backfiring one way or ano—”

“Juno!” He and Rita stopped in their tracks. He turned reluctantly to see Nicabar Byrde running after them. He groaned.

“Do you know him, Mistah Steel?” She sounded enamored. Of course she did. Byrde stopped a few feet in front of them and smiled at Juno and Rita.

“Juno, I just wanted to say that I’m looking forward to working with you,” He stepped closer and lowered his voice, “Who knows, maybe I’ll even get to kiss you again.” He grinned. Juno felt his face heat up.

“I thought you said you didn’t know who Glass was.”

“Oh, I don’t, but I do know that you’re very pretty.” Byrde took Juno’s hand and before he could wrench it away, he placed a kiss to it. “I’ll see you very soon, Juno.” As soon as he turned to walk away Rita started squealing.

“Mistah Steel! You never told me you got a man!” She tugged on his sleeve.

“What? No, Rita, I don’t he just… works with me.” She gave him a pointed look, “Alright, admittedly that’s a bad excuse but I don’t have a man.”

“Yuh-huh. Sure ya don’t, Boss.” She marched forward with a smug look on her face.

“I _don’t_ , Rita. I don’t even know why he did that.” She made a non-committal noise, Juno groaned again. “I would tell you if I somehow managed to get a partner, Rita. If I didn’t I’m pretty sure you would gut me like a fish.”

“Oh, I would, Mistah Steel, and I will. If I find out you got a secret boyfriend I'm gonna—I'll—I'll ground you!” Rita was completely serious which is what made Juno lose it. He genuinely laughed for the first time in a week.

“Rita… what the hell are you talking about? You can't ground me. You're my friend not my mom.” He couldn't help but laugh even more at the petulant anger on her face.

“Uh? Counterpoint: mom friend.”

“You are _not_ a mom friend. You're the annoying sister friend.” Juno tried his hardest to stop laughing. Needless to say, he didn't do so hot.

“Stop laughin’ at me, Boss!” She hit his arm.

“Sorry, Rita. I just—I'm not laughing at _you_ just,” he offered her the softest smile Juno Steel could give, “There hasn't been a lot for me to laugh at lately.”

“Oh.” Her face fell, and Juno felt guilty immediately.

“I shouldn’t have brought that up, Rita.” He turned and walked again as if he could walk away from the concern on her face. She groaned.

“Mistah Steel, you gotta stop walkin’ away from things you say.” She grabbed his hand pulling him back to a stop. He looked back at her with confusion clear on his face. “We’re friends, boss, we’re s’posed to talk about that kinda thing.” He pulled his hand away and told himself the way her shoulders fell didn’t make him feel like the worst person on Mars.

“Yeah, well, I better get back ‘home’ now.” Juno turned again, hoping if he couldn’t see the disappointment on her face that it wouldn’t affect him. “See ya, Rita.” With each step, his guilt grew tenfold.

“Mistah Steel?” She sounded like he’d abandoned her… maybe that was right. After all, who was Juno Steel if not someone who wrecks the lives of everyone he meets?

When he got back to the mansion he walked right through the front doors, not caring enough to sneak back in like a teenager. He was well past good-natured fun and breaking the rules just for the hell of it. His plan didn’t account for the twins waiting for him in his room. He wouldn’t have thought they’d even notice he was gone. Then again, he was their money maker. They needed him.

“Junebug, where’ve you been?” Cecil leaned against the far wall with a sharp grin on his face. He looked nonchalant. Like a cat toying with a mouse, not quite applying enough pressure to snap its neck. Cass was more subtle, sitting in Juno’s desk chair off to the side. Where Cecil was staged and dramatic, Cass was staged and dangerous. Cecil had on a neon atrocity, while Cass knew how to dress herself and not look like a bird of paradise.

“We’ve been waiting.” Her voice was even and like throwing back a shot of tar.

“What, don’t got anyone else to torture? Or did you finish early?” Juno sat on the edge of his bed. He wasn’t up for whatever the tw— whatever Cass and Cecil had in store for him. He’d had a long day and it wasn’t even three in the afternoon. He flopped backward and stared at the ceiling until Cecil’s grinning face appeared above him.

“Can’t we care about you? You’re a part of the family, June.” Juno flinched like he was struck. The name June was always from Benten. It felt wrong coming from Cecil. From the way Cecil’s grin grew Juno knew it was intentional.

“You’ve never cared before.” Juno put his hands over his eyes to block out Cecil’s cocky grin and jewelry dangling like a lure on a fishing line. He heard the chair scrape and Cass’s practical yet imposing boots hit the floor. He didn’t know her plan until he was ripped from the bed and thrown onto the floor. “What the hell?” She and Cecil stood over him like vultures or cherubim.

“Listen, Steel, and listen well.” Juno pushed himself up to a sitting position to try and get some leverage in this situation, “We gave you a home, we gave you safety, we gave you notoriety and fame. We can cast you out any time we wanted but we keep you around, so I’d suggest listening to us and not upsetting us any further. Unless you want to be living with your brother that is…” The corner of her mouth twitched upwards as Juno’s own stretched downward into an angry sort of fear. Cecil let out a practiced and porcelain laugh at her joke. She stepped over him to get to the door. Cecil followed giving Juno a smile that was all malice. The door hissed shut and Juno was left in that gilded cage of a room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy whats gonna happen next! art once again by @spicybruha bc they're like just so good i cant express how much i love what sam's done for this


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im big dumb and just forgot to post this for like three days straight so have this super late sorry!

Nicabar Byrde was a classy man, he wore only the most expensive and most tailored suits, he only went to the richest cities on the riches planets… perhaps elitist would be a more fitting word for such a man. All this was written down in a notebook that had been burned several days ago. Can’t have someone finding your secret stash of names now could you?

Nicabar stood in front of a full-length mirror, He wasn’t wearing his usual impeccable suits or shiny shoes. He was in sweatpants and a much too big hoodie. The man breathed out and Nicabar Byrde melted away as Peter Nureyev took his place. He ran a hand through his hair and pushed his glasses up. He was playing dress up, only he was putting on personalities instead of old clothes and plastic heels.

A knock on the door sounded and Peter put on yet another mask, this one the face of a distinguished prince. A man who knows what he wants and  _ will _ get it. His name was Duke Rose, an incomplete alias but one that had to be stitched together last minute for various reasons. Peter would have liked Duke to have a second half but he was altered to fit a bachelor prince at the request of the “King”. 

Duke Rose opened the door to see a nervous kid, no older than seventeen. He was in a servant’s uniform. A uniform modeled after the ones two nameless men wore one fateful day. The kid handed him a letter and left quickly. The letter had a deep red wax seal with a familiar insignia. 

However much Mag liked to think he was being subtle, Peter knew that he wasn’t. He cleaned his hands of the blood soon after the tragedy, but he missed the blood coating the rest of his body. Peter on the other hand, scrubbed every inch of his body to rid himself of the blood only to keep finding more with each passing day. 

He shut the door and sank down onto the bed. If this was more grim news sent in a dramatic fashion he’d rather read it while in a comfortable position. He opened it, the tension in his chest dissipated faster than his attention when Mag was speaking.  

* * *

 

Juno ignored the looks as he walked into Valles Vicky’s the next day. Cass and Cecil had wanted to dress him that day. He was more of their toy than anything else, and Juno was pretty sure they were testing how far they could bend this toy before it snapped in half and they go crying to daddy for a new one. They had decided on a long gaudy, gold dress and a black blazer with shoulder pads over it. He hated every second of it. He’d at least been able to wear the busted combat boots he’d had for years. There was duct tape on the toes and some seams had been sewn back together by two teenagers unwilling to let a good pair of shoes go to waste. 

He went to Vicky’s office straight away, not bothering to linger where people could stare. He marched into her office without waiting for the door to be opened for him. 

“Which is why you need to—Juno!” She stood up straight when he entered. Lounging in the chair across her desk sat one Nicabar Byrde. This time he was wearing an immaculate chartreuse green suit. Unfortunately he once again managed to make it look…  not horrible. Byrde sat up. Juno didn’t miss the way his mouth opened just slightly and he blinked a few times before composing himself. It made Juno’s face hot as he pulled the blazer closer to his chest. 

“Am I interrupting something?” He looked from Byrde to Vicky. Both had confusion clearly written on their faces. Byrde stood, that’s when Juno noticed he was wearing heels, making the man unfairly tall. Juno ignored the way Byrde’s eyes couldn’t seem to stay away from Juno’s body and strode over to Vicky.

“No, not at all, Juno. I, uh, I was just telling Vicky how I really ought to be going.” He took Juno’s hand and pressed it to his lips again. He didn’t seem to notice that he left his baby blue lipstick smudged on the back of Juno’s hand, too busy getting out of that room. Juno watched as the doors hissed open and shut around him. He turned back to Vicky. He came here for a reason. She gave him a stern look, one not too different from the ones Cass and Cecil gave him.

She sighed and sat down, “You’re looking nice today, Juno.” She gestured for him to sit in the now vacant chair. “Whose clothes did you steal?” He sat with a groan; if he wrinkled the stupid expensive dress then so be it. 

“Nice joke, Vicky, I’m positively dying of laughter.” He said with the most deadpan expression he could manage, which was quite deadpan. “I’ve got a request.” Vicky put a hand to her temple. 

“What is it this time?” 

“If I’m going to be working with this Byrde guy, I want information.” Vicky laughed.

“You’ve already gotten information.” 

“I know that’s not his name. I want to know what it is and I know you have more knowledge than you’re letting on.” He put some creds on her desk, “Tell me what you know.” 

“Are you trying to  _ bribe _ me?” she asked incredulously. Juno shrugged.

“That depends on if you give me the information willingly or not.” Juno was struck with how similar what he was doing to how the t— how Cass and Cecil get what they want. He felt sick. Juno kept his internal struggle under wraps as best he could. She sighed, ran a hand through her hair, and pulled out a thumb drive from her desk.

“Here. Do with this what you will,” He took the thumb drive and put it in his blazer pocket. “Oh, and keep your money, Juno.” The look of… disappointment on her face was a knife through his throat. He left without saying thanks. 

He walked back to the mansion alone, the small thumb drive an anchor in his pocket. If he looked at whatever was on this at the mansion the Kanagawas were sure to find out. If he looked at it somewhere else he’d put himself and Byrde in less danger. But the only person he could really trust with this was Rita, and he was frankly too guilty about leaving her in that street to go ask her about the thumb drive. Risking it at the mansion was his only option. 

When he got back Cass and Cecil were nowhere to be found. He knew the cameramen were watching. They always were. They were always in the background clicking and whirring. So long as he was on the Kanagawa’s property he had no privacy. That’s just how things worked. He took the thumb drive out of his pocket and threw the blazer onto his bed. Just before he put it into the computer the door slammed open. In his panic he shoved the thumb drive into the bodice of his dress. 

“June!” Cecil stood there with a manic grin plastered on his face. He crossed the room and took Juno’s hand. He gasped dramatically. “Cass! Get in here! You’ve gotta see this!” Juno’s stomach fell down to the surface of the planet as he looked at his own hand. Baby blue lipstick was smudged on the back of his hand, standing out like a full moon against his skin. 

Them finding the lipstick on his hand meant that they could find out about Byrde. It meant they would be clued into what he was doing for Vicky. It meant that he was so totally and completely screwed. Cassandra waltzed through the door with a predatory grin on her face. It was fake. Just like the rest of the twins. Cecil pulled Juno by his hand to show his sister.

“Look at this!” She took Juno’s hand. He tried and failed to pull it away. 

“It seems that our choice of outfit served him well.” She dropped Juno’s hand and met his eyes. 

“Don’t see how this has anything to do with the two of you.” Cecil laughed. Cold spikes were sent down Juno’s spine. 

“Oh, Juney. How could it  _ not _ have anything to do with us?” He put his metal arm on Juno’s shoulder. Both of them knew full well the danger that arm was capable of. “We dressed you and you get a kiss on your hand. It’s not like you have suitors lining up, Juno.” Cass stepped closer, Juno didn’t like whatever they had planned. 

“You know, Cecil, everyone loves a good romance plot.” Juno stepped back. Their matching grins were like sharks showing off. 

“You’re right. Who could possibly admire our Junebug?” His tone was both patronizing and genuinely curious. Juno wasn’t a fan. He turned his back on them to scoop his dirty old trenchcoat up off his floor. He put it on and pushed past him. His wrist was caught just as he got to the hallway. “Oh, and Juney? If we see you at that party tomorrow night you’ll regret it. We’re going for a recluse storyline. Don’t fuck that up.” He smiled and let go of Juno’s wrist with a sick satisfaction on his face.

“You’ll thank us later, Juno,” Cassandra called as he almost ran out of the cursed mansion. 

He went back down to the surface, unsure of what he was doing. Unsure of where he was going. He was still in that tight dress. His only solace was his old busted coat, the one Benten gave him. It had patches and stains and holes. It had laser burns and some blood that he never got out. It no longer smelled like Benten, but it did once. He hid the coat under all of his clothes for months wanting to surprise Juno. It was already old then and it was even older now but it was still Juno’s favorite coat. 

Juno wasn’t looking where he was going. He was just walking, lost in thought. Lost in memories too stubborn to be scrubbed away like the rest of the dirt. So no one could blame him for running into the man. Juno couldn’t even get a last-minute sorry out before the man took his face in his hands. Just before he could stutter out an apology the man’s face clicked in his head, not that it was a hard one to forget.

Nicabar Byrde. Or rather… Rex Glass? Neither of them. He had Glass’s freckles but with Byrde’s hair and glasses. He was someone new entirely. Juno wasn’t sure if he wanted to know who this man was, but it was far too late for that. He felt the thumb drive burn a hole into his chest. It was still tucked into the bodice of his dress, pressed up against his skin like a knife dipped in poison. 

“Juno.” He took his hands away from Juno’s face, seemingly just noticing how strange that was. “I—I must apologize. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later, Juno.” He started to walk away, but at this point the sun was setting and the moons were rising. And, this man whoever he may be, Byrde or Glass or someone else, didn’t seem to be all there. So, screaming at himself the whole time, Juno took his hand and walked alongside him.

“Juno?” He looked at Juno with confusion and adoration on his face. Juno didn’t look back. 

“Shut up. You don’t seem like you’re in a good spot. You seem… off. Just wanna make sure you don’t keel over in the street. I need you to get this job over.” They walked in silence for a few minutes. Juno wasn’t sure why he was still holding his hand. He hoped Byrde didn’t think it was annoying. It probably was. 

“Juno? What are you doing here?” he asked after the sun had sunk completely and the twin moons were competing with the thousands of neon lights. 

“Making sure you’re not dead.” Juno looked at him. His eyebrows were knitted together and his lips were pulled down like a dozen bricks were tied to them. 

“That’s not what I meant. What are you doing working for Vicky? You’re taking down the government, or at least you will. You could be doing so many other things. A lady as pretty as you could do anything he wants. So, why this?” Juno couldn’t tell how much of his concern was another persona and how much was the man under a trillion names. He wasn’t sure he cared. He dropped Byrde’s hand and turned. He took the brief opportunity while he was facing away to dig the thumb drive out of his bodice and shove it into his coat’s pocket. 

“That’s a tricky question, Byrde.” He laughed dryly. “I don’t think you want the answer to that one.” Byrde took Juno’s hand and spun him close. “Whoa… warn a lady next time.” Juno was very aware that he was  _ very _ close to Byrde. And that Byrde was looking down at him with a fire burning in his eyes. Juno couldn’t place what that fire was burning for but he knew a fire when he saw one. 

“I’ve known you for less than a week, Juno, but I know that so long as the answer is yours I’d love to have it.” Byrde’s hands were gripping Juno’s upper arms, though neither of them really noticed. They were too focused on the fires burning behind the other’s eyes like a mirror, trying to unravel the mystery that was the other. They weren’t sure they’d like what they would find, but that had never stopped either of them before. Juno cleared his throat. 

“I’ll have to get back to you on that. It’s gotten late.” 

“It has.” Neither made a move to leave. “Would you like to…” 

“Yes.” Juno pulled Byrde down into a kiss that absolutely screamed with desperation. 

He woke up the next morning alone. Not that he had expected much more. He knew not to trust Byrde. But he did anyway. He checked his comms. It was almost noon. He had fifteen missed calls from Rita and another twenty missed messages. He sighed then called her. She picked up after the third ring.

“Mistah Steel!” 

“Hey, Rita. What is it?” He stood up and searched for his coat. 

“Well I went to look for ya last night at the mansion, but you weren’t there and them god awful twins didn’t know where ya were. They didn’t even care! How awful is that, Boss?” Rita sounded genuinely concerned. He put his coat and shoes on and walked out the door. He had no clue if Byrde had paid for that room or not. He just didn’t want the twins to find out where he was. 

“So why did you call me about fifty times last night?” He walked out into the sunny and frigid Martian noon. He was still wearing that damned dress. He was going to get so much shit for that. 

“Frannie told me about a big fancy party at that palace thingy and you really oughta relax, Boss. So, I was thinkin’ we could go together.” The end of her sentence went up like she was letting go of a balloon and hoping for the best. Then again that’s how most conversations with Juno went. Just say what you like and hope for the best. 

“Hey, Rita do you still have some of my clothes at your place?” He wasn’t entirely sure of what he was doing, but that was normal. 

“Yeah, they’ve just been sittin’ here for like months, Boss. Wait, why?” She sounded almost hopeful.

“Because I’m on my way over and need to get out of this goddamn dress.” Juno hung up. Arguably not the best move. He pulled his coat around him and trudged along to Rita’s apartment. 

She opened the door almost before he knocked. Then she pulled him into a bone crushing hug. 

“Mistah Steel there you are! After you walked off the other day I’ve been worryin’ about you but I didn’t wanna barge into your business case’n you got into trouble again. Nothin’ against you, Boss, but you do get in lots of trouble. Especially when that trouble happens to be life-threatening.” She let him out of her death grip and pulled him into the apartment. “Where’d you get that dress?” 

“The twins. Where’s the clothes again, Rita?” 

“In my closet. I dunno how they got there but I sure as hell aren’t gonna wear your clothes, Boss! Again nothin’ against you but you got some bad taste in clothes.” Juno let her go on about how awful his taste in clothing was. It’s not like she was  _ wrong.  _ His taste in clothes was whatever he could find. It was horrendous and he knew it. His clothes were on the floor of her closet. He changed as fast as he could. 

“Hey, Rita?” he yelled from her bedroom. 

“Yeah, Boss?” She poked her head in through the doorway. Juno held up the gold monstrosity of a dress. 

“Can you do anything with this?” Rita snorted. 

“Nothin’ at all. I’ll give it away later. Oh! Maybe Frannie’ll like it!” She made grabby hands as he tossed it to her. She disappeared down the hall and he put his coat back on. That’s when he remembered the thumb drive. 

“Oh, Rita, I’ve got a thingy I need you to look at.” He walked out into her living room and wondered if he could have even looked at what was on it on his own if the twins  _ hadn’t _ barged in. She made him sit down on the couch before he could do any business. 

“You know the rule, Mistah Steel. If you’re gonna bring work into the house of Rita you need to be sitting. Or at least comfy.” He sighed but sat anyways. He knew it was just out of concern. 

“Okay, I got this thumb drive from Vick—” His hand went into his pocket and found… nothing. “Uhh. One second.” He tried the other pocket. Then the pants pockets thinking maybe he put it in there when he got changed. It was nowhere. “Shit.” He stood up. “You haven’t seen a thumb drive anywhere have you?” He was aware of how frantic he sounded, but he didn’t care. 

“No. Why, what was on it?” She asked. Juno wasn’t sure how to say it had all the information on the man he’s working with slash slept with and how dangerous he may or may not be without sounding like a self-destructive loser. So, he said none of that.

“Important stuff.” He knew by the look on her face that she didn’t believe him.

“Alright, Boss. If you find it send it my way, I’ll get you any information on it in ten seconds flat, ha-ha!” They spent a few hours eating on Rita’s couch and watching streams. Juno nearly fell asleep on Rita’s shoulder before his comms startled him. 

“Yeah, who is it?” He heard a scoff on the other side. 

“Comms have caller ID, Juno.” It was Vicky.

“Shut up.” Rita turned down the stream so he wouldn’t have to miss the important parts. “What do you want, Vicky?”  

“I’m sending you to the prince’s party tonight. Byrde is preoccupied, but I’m sure you will do just as well without him.” 

“What am I supposed to  _ do _ there? Just walk around a fancy party sticking out like a sore thumb for a few hours?” He didn’t see the point. What information was he going to gain from this? And what was more, if the twins saw him he’d be in for a hell of a bad time.    


“It will be held at the palace.” She said “palace” like most people would say “garbage dump filled with putrid and radioactive waste that’s slowly inching its way towards your house.” Overall, not a pleasant tone. “Which means you will have access to the king and prince’s rooms and offices. I need you to glean as much information as you possibly can.” 

“And this is tonight?” Vicky made an affirmative noise. Juno sighed. “Alright, doesn’t look like I have anything better to do.” After he hung up he looked to Rita whose eyes were bright as the sun. “Looks like we’re going to that fancy ass party, Rita.” 

He tried to be happy when he saw how she exploded with joy but he was filled with dread. He had to get information discreetly, make sure Rita didn’t get them caught  _ and  _ hide from the Kanagawas during the most publicized event in months that didn’t have to do with death. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again sorry lads sometimes brains be bad


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i forgot to post this yesterday AGAIN but voila here it is have fun ;)

A few hours later Rita and Juno were all done up in gorgeous dresses that Juno absolutely did  _ not _ like. Not at all. It’s not like he felt like a princess. He did  _ not _ like his dress. It was rather simple compared to Rita’s. His was a deep purple floor-length gown with gold and purple beading along the bodice giving it a sweetheart shape. There was a sheer panel at his collarbones and the back was open. It was gorgeous. 

“Ready, Boss?” Rita had a two-piece dress, something Juno still wasn’t sure was a real thing. The top was cold shoulder and baby blue with small black roses along it in an intricate design, the skirt was floor length with the same black roses cascading down it. He didn’t know where she had gotten either of the dresses. 

“I guess, I’m still not happy with my blaster placement.” He couldn’t put it in a jacket since he didn’t  _ have _ a jacket. So it was tucked into a thigh holster, meaning if he wanted to take out his blaster he would have to flash some leg. But there was no other place for it so he tried to make peace with that fact. 

“C’mon, Mistah Steel. Don’t wanna be late now do we?” She was excited. Probably the most excited Juno had seen her in years. That was good, Rita being happy was always a good thing. 

She dragged him through the doors into a fancy ballroom. Juno wanted to go home. But home meant the Min and Croesus. He really didn’t want to be there but he had to, for several reasons. The people there all looked like they were drapped in starlight and bathed in the void of space. Everyone looked much better than Juno did. He put his hand on his thigh feeling the blaster through his dress. It steadied his nerves just enough for him to get through the night.

Everyone who was anyone was there, and then there were Juno and Rita sticking by the walls. Rita wanted to dance with Juno, but he told her he wouldn’t dance until after the job was done. That was just a clever workaround. He didn’t plan on dancing at all. After it seemed like everyone was sufficiently intoxicated— not enough to be drunk but enough to be off guard—Juno set off. He told Rita he’d be right back. He wasn’t sure if she believed him. He wasn’t sure if he believed himself.

He snuck down hallway after hallway peeking into rooms since Vicky didn’t give him any plans to the place. All she gave him was a slightly blurry picture of the prince and king’s rooms. He wasn’t even sure if she knew who took the pictures. He walked for what felt like hours down identical hallways with identical doors concealing identical rooms. The rich had no taste. Juno heard the telltale sound of someone running in heels and before he could even turn around someone collided into his back. 

“Hey, what are y—” He was pulled into the closest room by the mystery person and laughed. He was in the prince’s room now. He turned to see who had kidnapped him this time to see Nicabar Byrde or Rex Glass or well… neither of them, actually. “Damnit, you again?” The man before him laughed; it was elegant and practiced. It reminded him all too much of Cecil.

“That’s no way to talk to me.” His tone was serious but there was a light in his eyes, one that never seemed to go away no matter how many names or faces he wore.

“What, who are you this time? The prince?” Juno expected him to laugh and say ‘Of course not, Juno’ but he didn’t. He stepped closer, put a finger under Juno’s chin, and tilted his head up. 

“Crown Prince Duke Rose at your service.” 

Juno swatted his hand away and stepped back. He had to be joking, right? Juno paid little attention to the prince. He hadn’t cared about him. He’d hardly even thought about him, all his attention going to the king. His head was swimming with possible explanations and pressing questions. Had Juno kissed, or rather, been kissed by royalty that day? And, last night… He pushed those thoughts from his head. The man hadn’t given Juno his real name the entire time, so why would he start now. He had no reason to believe that this man was truly the prince. He was helping Juno and Vicky take down his father—why would he do that if he really was the prince? 

“You haven’t given me a single real name yet.” Byrde or Glass or Rose or  _ whoever _ the man was shrugged. 

“Maybe not, but…” Juno was getting fed up. 

“But what?” Juno snapped. He had to remind himself he was there for information. He was there to find the prince and king’s rooms and to gather as much information as he could. 

“But, maybe I haven’t.” He said with a fox’s grin on his lips.

“Yeah, right.” Juno scoffed and walked away, further into the room. He went to a nearby desk and started going through drawers, looking for false bottoms or boxes. 

“What are you doing?” Juno was dimly aware of him coming closer. He didn’t care.

“Looking for information, what are you doing?” Juno switched to looking through the papers on the top of the desk, it was more of a mess than his desk was. He saw a paper titled Tragedy of New Kinshasa, he took it. 

“Are you stealing my documents?” He sounded almost afraid. Juno didn’t know he was capable of that. 

“So, the king was most likely the man behind the tragedy, and you just so happen to have a document on it sitting on your desk? That has nothing to do with Martian politics or the solar system, you know. The Outer Rim is a long way away.” Juno’s tone was accusatory. He was fed up with the twins and he really didn’t need Rose giving him shit too. “What are you two planning? Is that why you’re helping Vicky? To sabotage her? What are you two  _ really _ doing here, and cut the bullshit.” The man before him glanced at a ruby encrusted watch on his wrist and sighed. When his shoulders fell, so did Duke Rose revealing… someone. Juno still wasn’t sure who was beneath so many masks. 

“Listen, Juno, I don’t have the time for this. I need to be out in the ballroom in five minutes.” He looked almost apologetic. Like he wanted to tell Juno something but just couldn’t form the words. “I’ll try to explain later.” He turned his back on Juno and walked to the door. Juno quickly took pictures of the Kinshasa document and various other papers before going to the door. He followed Rose down the hall, just a few steps behind him until he stopped in his tracks and whirled around. 

“Thought you said you had to be in the ballroom, this is the wrong way.” Juno knew he was pressing Rose’s buttons, he didn’t care. 

“You do realize that if any guard sees you this far away from the ballroom you’ll be in big trouble, right?” 

“Not if I’m with the prince.” Rose glared down at Juno. 

“Why are you following me?” 

“What are you hiding?” Juno fired back. Rose threw his hands up and groaned. 

“If I told you, you’d call the authorities.” He sighed. Juno scoffed.

“You  _ are _ the authorities. You and your dad come waltzing in and now yo—” 

“Don’t call him that,” he snapped, standing much closer to Juno than he was a moment ago. 

“What?” Rose readjusted his embroidered tie. 

“He’s not my father,” Rose spat, then he turned from Juno and began walking again. That was clearly a touchy subject. Juno could understand not calling someone your parent. He dropped the subject, not knowing how much would push the man over the edge and not wanting to find out. 

“So, where are we going?” Juno asked after a minute or two of silence. 

“ _ We _ aren’t going anywhere. You need to get back to the party, can’t have any guests snooping around now can we?” He looked back at Juno and flashed his sharp teeth. The gesture was somewhere between a threat and a promise. 

“Is it snooping if you’re the one leading me around?” Juno was still following Rose at an almost leisurely pace. Rose stopped in his tracks again, pushed his ruby encrusted glasses up, and sighed.

“Juno, what’s your goal here?” 

“What’s yours?” He shot back. Rose groaned. 

“You need to leave, Juno. If you get caught this far away from the party, I’m not going to protect you.” He took a step closer to Juno. It was supposed to be menacing. Rose missed his mark by a few miles. 

“If you don’t cover for me then our whole mission will be blown. That’s not what we want... unless of course, that’s your goal.” He was still prodding him for information. He wouldn’t stop until he either got what he wanted or was thrown out. 

“You—You need to get out of here—” Footsteps were fast approaching. Both of them froze. Rose sighed. “Juno, it looks like I’m going to have to kiss you again.” He pulled Juno close to his chest and pinned his back to the wall. “Maybe one day this won’t be how we get out of a sticky situation,” he said before closing the distance. 

“Hey! What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be this far away from the ballroom.” Most likely a guard. Rose pulled back, put on the appearance of a slightly too drunk rich person. The kind of person who thinks they can get away with anything so long as they have the right amount of money. Which, wasn’t totally incorrect considering the corrupt government, law enforcement, judicial system, media, so on and so forth. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, I just wanted to show Dahlia here around a little bit.” Rose giggled, he  _ giggled _ . Juno was almost too stunned to pretend to be drunk and smitten with this man… not that much of it was an act. 

“I apologize, Mr. Rose. Please show your… friend around as much as you would like, sir.” He left quickly. Juno almost forgot to follow Rose when he started walking again. 

“So, that’s the sort of security detail I was hiding you from earlier this week?” Rose didn’t spare a glance back, he didn’t acknowledge Juno’s question. He just kept walking forward, down identical hallways and past identical doors. “I just want to know if you’re working with me or against me, Rose.” The man in question sighed. 

“Juno, there’s a lot I can’t tell you. You’re just going to have to be okay with that.” He glanced at his watch. “For now, that is.” 

He pushed forward, newly invigorated. He was like a new person. Gone was the sly and charming Rex Glass. Gone was the knowing and snobbish Nicabar Byrde. Gone was the smooth-talking, slightly naive Duke Rose. Juno didn’t know who this new man was. He didn’t know if he was buried under all those other men or if he was a fresh coat of paint not even dry yet. Juno had to step quickly to keep up with Rose and his incredibly long legs made even longer in those red heels. 

He led Juno down hallway after hallway. Juno almost had to jog to keep up; he almost wished he hadn’t humored Rita had worn his platform boots like he’d wanted. He’d worn enough platform boots in his life, he could run in boots with a three-inch platform. And to think he would have been able to keep up with Rose easier. It felt like hours before they reached a heavy looking synthwood door. 

“What’s this?” Juno asked as Rose put his watch face up to the panel to the left of the door. It slid open with a hiss and Rose threw a lopsided grin over his shoulder. 

“An answer of sorts.” He lead the way into the room. It was an office with high windows overlooking the edge of the floating property. From there you could see what felt like all of Hyperion City. Juno was pulled to the windows without realizing it, all he could see was twinkling neon lights and people shaped dots far far beneath him. It was beautiful in a way Juno had never seen his city, he almost understood why others came from all over human territories just to visit. “Here you are, Juno.” 

He was pulled out of his thoughts like a bullet from a gun. He turned to Rose, he had a couple of papers in-hand. All, presumably, on New Kinshasa. Juno crossed the room to him and took the papers without even looking at his face. As he skimmed over the papers things started to fall in place. 

“Rose…” 

“Yes, Juno?” He was almost jovial, what cruel irony. 

“What’s your name?” Juno heard him suck in a breath, clear his throat, and attempt at an answer. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at the man. Reading all the details of The Tragedy Of New Kinshasa was… harrowing to say the least. Almost four hundred thousand casualties and about half of that number in injuries. Juno had always known the tragedy was, well, a tragedy but seeing the numbers printed on this sheet of paper and seeing small grainy security camera footage of it all felt like a blow. And, in one tiny and grainy photo was a boy. A boy with familiar freckles, too big glasses, and blood on his face. Juno felt sick. 

“Why do you ask, Juno?” He sounded almost calm. Almost. There was a slight shakiness to his voice that wasn’t there a moment before. Juno tore his eyes from the paper to look up at the man. Most of his freckles were covered up, his glasses were small and round, his face was pristine and so were his hands. But there was no denying it. He was there. He had blood on his hands and tears on his face… a knife in his hands. 

“What are you doing here?” Juno folded the paper and stuck it in his comms case. He regretted not choosing a dress with pockets. 

“I- I’m trying to help, you have to understand, Juno.” He’d shorn off any mask he had. The look on Rose’s face now was almost identical to that of the boy’s. If you were to overlay the photo on his face in that moment there would be no mistaking it. Duke Rose or whoever he really was, was at New Kinshasa. From the photos it looked like he’d killed or at least injured someone. 

“Help  _ who _ ? Yourself? Mars? Your father?” Juno wanted answers. He was going to get them.

“Do  _ not _ call him that, he’s not my father.” Rose’s face contorted in anger. Juno took half a step back. Rose composed himself and was every inch the prince he was masquerading as. “I’m trying to help  _ you _ , Juno. You and your city are in danger and if I don't stop it-” 

“What makes you so responsible for this city, huh?” Juno stepped closer to him, his anger pushing away any fear or anxieties. A well known fact about Juno Steel was that he falls into moral outrage as easy as a baby falls over. “You aren’t from here. You haven’t lived here. Hell, you come here with your  _ father _ to take over. You start a violent civil war, you stay up in your fancy palace, you don’t even so much as  _ look _ at the people you’re taking over and you what? You care about us? You’re trying to protect us? Who gave you the right? What makes you so sure that you are the only damn person on this entire planet who would be able to stop this?” Rose stayed silent. “Well, what’s your answer, Rose, what the hell are you doing here?” 

Juno was only a few inches away from Rose who stood stoic and silent. He wanted to hit Rose. He wanted answers. He wanted to- The door slid open with a hiss. Rose pushed Juno under the desk that stood nearby and caged him in with his legs. 

“What are you doing in here? I thought you would be at the party, it was your idea after all.” A man with a honey-coated blade for a voice came closer. “Petya?” Juno frantically took out his comms and pulled up Rita’s contacts. 

His hastily crafted message read,  _ “Rita I need you to look up anyone named Petya or something similar to that in relation to the Tragedy Of New Kinshasa.”  _ Her reply came in not even ten seconds after. 

_ “I will in one moment Mistah Steel but where are you? Are you in trouble? If you’re in trouble I’m gonna quit! Well, I can’t quit I don’t work for you, but I’ll start working for you just to quit!”  _ Juno never knew how she typed so fast. It took him far too long to type just one word. 

“Petya, are you alr-”

“Don’t call me that.” Rose or maybe Petya snapped. The other man laughed, it sounded like he was coming even closer, Juno pulled his dress in close trying to make sure none of it spilled out from under the desk. Juno would never forgive himself if his position was given away by a few inches of fabric. 

“Oh, come now, would you rather I call you Duke? Even when you’re not playing a role?” All of Juno’s suspicions were being confirmed. The man he’d been working with was posing as Prince Duke Rose son of Caesar Rose. Rita had been talking about them a few days before everything started. Juno wasn’t too great at old Terran mythology but he was pretty sure that Caesar was a bad omen of a name. 

“You don’t deserve to say that name. I’m not him anymore, you killed him.” Juno was in awe, he couldn’t see Rose’s face but he could imagine the fury on his face. He could imagine his striking features twisted into anger. He could ima- His comms buzzed in his hand. It startled him so much he dropped it, the comms clattered deafeningly loud against the hard imported marble floors. He cursed himself for being so distracted. 

“What was that?” Caesar Rose’s voice moved around the desk, much closer to Juno than he would have liked. Rose turned to face the man to hide Juno from sight. 

“Get out.” Juno hadn’t known Rose for long, but he could tell he’d been hiding this anger towards Caesar for… a long time. 

“This is _my_ office, Pete-”   
  
“I said get out.” Caesar sighed. 

“Alright,” He surrendered but Juno didn’t trust the situation enough to breathe. “I’ll go, just remember half of this was  _ your _ idea, Peter.” Juno stayed as still and silent as he could until Rose held out a hand for Juno to take. Juno didn’t, he got up on his own. 

Juno looked down at his comms, Rita had sent back a government document from Brahma that she definitely shouldn’t have gotten access to. _ “I didn’t find any names like that but I did find this picture from New Kinshasa records. Could be related to that name!”  _ The file attached was that same grainy photo of… Juno looked up to Rose. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i gotta stop forgetting to post these things but alas


End file.
